California

Because it cannot find enough qualified teachers back home, the Sacramento City Unified School District has turned overses and began to fill its demanding special education posts to Filipino teachers.
District spokesman Alex Barrios said they have exhausted all options to recruit local talents.
"We’ve tried to recruit special-ed teachers here in Sacramento as well as throughout the state and nation. Unfortunately we still came up with some vacancies, so these are some very hard to fill positions in special ed," Barrios…

The first known undocumented Filipino immigrant in Southern California to be deported under the Donald Trump administration has spoken about the abrupt end to his life in America.
Rey Galleon, who came to the US seven years ago after he jumped ship, has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and swiftly deported out of the country.
Galleon had just dropped off his 9-year-old child at school March 17 when he found people at his apartment complex asking neighbors where he and his family were. He spoke to…

An American teacher of Filipino origin faces life behind bars after he was convicted of molesting over a dozen young victims spanning several years.
Ronald Guinto, 34, was first arrested in 2014 while employed as a teacher in Richmond, California.
In a news release by Balitang America, prosecutors say Guinto was found guilty of 87 counts of child molestation, witness dissuasion, and kidnapping.
The bulk of the alleged abuse occurred during his two years at Making Waves Academy, a Richmond charter school, between…

A Filipino-American Lakers fan left an NBA game $95,000 richer after hitting his half court heave as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center Tuesday night.
In an article at NBA.com, Jerald Acoba, 30, from Tulare, Calif., participated in the Aria Big Shot Jackpot by attempting to shoot the ball from the halfcourt in the intermission between the third and fourt quarters of the game.
If that wasn't enough, Acoba expressed his jubilation on Instagram after high-fiving Lakers stars such as…

A 21-year-old Filipino-American was convicted of manslaughter after fatally stabbing his own father at their West Covina, California home in 2015, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.
At what was scheduled to be a pretrial hearing in the case of Maverick Jacob Jimenez, the defendant accepted a negotiated plea deal in connection with fatal stabbing of his father, 49-year-old Joey Alfred Jimenez, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said.
The defendant also…

A Filipina has accused the city mayor of Carson, California of sexual harassment.
Monette Gavino, accompanied by her supporters, faced off against Carson City Hall, narrating her grievance during a public comment period on Tueday. Embattled mayor Albert Robles slapped a defamation lawsuit against Gavino after her 5-minute speech.
"I'm suing you for malicious prosecution and defamation. You've been served," the mayor said.
"It is the right time to do it because I know they will be after me every time because this is…

Four suspects linked to the kidnapping for ransom of a Filipino-American resident in California were arrested by police authorities.
However, police have confirmed that Elvira Babb, 57, remains missing.
An alleged kidnapper sent a text message to the victim's son, John Babb, demanding a ransom of $100,000 or his mother would be killed. The same threat was made if the son reported the incident to the police.
Elvira Babb was last seen around 3 p.m. June 29 at the Sea Food City market in Vallejo. She lived on Daniels Avenue…

A Filipino fugitive listed among the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted in the United States has been captured on Sunday, May 29.
Philip Patrick Policarpio, wanted for the murder of his pregnane girlfriend Lauren Olguin, and her unborn child on April 12. Policarpio was arrested as he attempted to cross the United States from Tijuana, Mexico through the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
He was on parole for a 2011 felony conviction and prior to his trial for the said crime, Policarpio fled to the Philippines, where…

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who can privide information leading to the arrest of a Filipino placed in its "most wanted" list for allegedly shooting to death his girlfriend at a home in east Hollywood.
According to a report by LA West Media, Philip Patrick Policarpio, 39, is accused of killing Lauren Olguin and her unborn child. Officers were sent to the 500 block of North Virgil Avenue about 6 a.m. on April 12 to investigate a report of a shooting and found Olguin dead.…

A Silicon Valley electronics manufacturer has been ordered to pay over $161,000 in minimum wage and overtime pay and additional amount in damages to 18 Filipino computer engineers who were not paid according to labor standards when they were brought to work in the United States between 2012 and 2015.
The decision by the US Department of Labor came after an investigation revealed that some workers received as little as $1.66 per hour with overtime pay even as they routinely worked an average of 57 hours a week for Bitmicro…